Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1168: Duke of Qian

A government ship sailed north along the Grand Canal.

This official ship is not simple. It is flying the flag of the General Zhengnan. There are not only armored soldiers guarding the ship, but also several Jinyiwei wearing flying fish uniforms.

When it comes to the General of the Southern Expedition, most people probably can't remember who he is at the moment, but when it comes to the Duke of Qian, he is very famous in the Ming Dynasty.

The first ancestor of the Qianguogong Mansion was Pingxi Hou Mu Ying, who was the adopted son of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. At the age of twelve, Mu Ying followed Zhu Yuanzhang in his military career. At the age of eighteen, Mu Ying was awarded the title of Captain in Front of the Tent and participated in the defense of Zhenjiang, taking on important military tasks. In the ninth year of Hongwu, Mu Ying followed Deng Yu in the expedition against Tubo as a deputy commander. He was awarded Xiping Hou for his military merits and was granted a red-lettered iron certificate. In the fourteenth year of Hongwu, he led 300,000 troops to conquer Yunnan with Fu Youde and Lan Yu. After Yunnan was pacified, Mu Ying stayed in Yunnan to guard it.

Mu Ying stayed in Yunnan and guarded the southwest for the Ming Dynasty. However, in the 15th year of Hongwu, Empress Ma died. Mu Ying was so sad that he vomited blood and his health was not good. When the crown prince Zhu Biao died in the 25th year of Hongwu, Mu Ying could not bear the blow and fell ill. He died two months later.

After Mu Ying died, Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang posthumously conferred him the title of King of Qianning, and his son continued to guard Yunnan. After his eldest son Mu Chun died of illness in the army in the 31st year of Hongwu, Mu Chun had no son, so Mu Ying's second son Mu Sheng inherited the title. Later, he was conferred the title of Duke of Qian for his military merits. Since then, the lineage of the Duke of Qian has been guarding the southwest for the court since the founding of the country until today.

The current Duke of Qian is Mu Tianbo. He inherited the title of Duke of Qian after his father died when he was ten years old, and was named General Zhengnan by the court.

Among the nobles of the Ming Dynasty, the Mansion of the Duke of Qian is the most special one, because the Duke of Qian is the only noble who truly controls the military power.

After taking over the title of Duke of Qian, Mu Tianbo stayed in Yunnan, away from the central government, and never participated in the affairs of the court. When Zhu Shenzhui entered the capital in the name of the Jingnan Campaign to control the government, Mu Tianbo learned the news in Yunnan a few months later. Although he was shocked, and some of his subordinates suggested that Mu Tianbo mobilize troops to the capital in the name of the Duke of Qian, this suggestion was directly rejected by Mu Tianbo. In the end, Mu Tianbo did not make any unusual moves in Yunnan and continued to guard it.

The reason why Mu Tianbo did this was not because he was disloyal to the Ming Dynasty. As the top noble of the Ming Dynasty and the hereditary Duke of Qian, the Mu family can be said to have received the emperor's favor for generations. Moreover, the relationship between the Mu family and the old Zhu family is also unusual. Don't forget that Mu Ying was once the adopted son of Taizu. His original surname was Zhu and he was called Zhu Ying. Later, he changed back to his original surname Mu.

But the reason why the lineage of the Duke of Qian has been able to stand firm from the founding of the Ming Dynasty to the present and become the only top noble of the Ming Dynasty with military power is not due to anything else, but loyalty to the Ming Dynasty. For Mu Tianbo, this is the basis for the survival of the Duke of Qian's Mansion, especially since the Duke of Qian's Mansion is not loyal to any emperor, but to the Ming Dynasty court. No matter who is the emperor, as long as he sits on the throne, the Duke of Qian will be loyal to the current emperor and the court. It is also for this reason that the Duke of Qian can maintain a transcendent status and is not affected by changes in the court.

If the one who replaced Emperor Chongzhen was a traitor or a foreign enemy, Mu Tianbo would naturally lead his troops north to defend the emperor without hesitation.

But the problem is that the one who entered the capital and controlled the government was someone from the Zhu family. Zhu Shenzhui was from the lineage of Prince of Jin, and Prince of Yan Zhu Di also entered Nanjing City in the name of pacifying the rebellion and seized the throne. Since Zhu Di was on the first day, it is normal for Zhu Shenzhui to be on the fifteenth day. Moreover, from the perspective of the succession law of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, the most qualified to inherit the throne after Crown Prince Zhu Biao was the lineage of Prince of Jin. On the contrary, the so-called "legitimate son" of Prince of Yan Zhu Di was unclear. Others did not know, could it be that Mu Tianbo did not know?

Since it was his family members who were fighting for the position of "head of the family", Mu Tianbo had no reason to do anything to support the king. Besides, Mu Tianbo was not a fool. He had seen clearly in Yunnan how the Ming Dynasty had become after Chongzhen came to power. Such an emperor was not a blessing for the country. Since Zhu Shenzhu was able to enter the capital and control the government under the pretext of pacifying the rebellion, he was definitely not a simple person. It might be good for the Ming Dynasty to have a more capable member of the Zhu family as emperor.

In this way, Mu Tianbo continued to stay in Yunnan and did not express his opinion. Later, Zhu Shenzhu gradually stabilized the situation, first eliminated the bandits and quelled the internal troubles, and then formally ascended the throne on the grounds of abdication and became the emperor of Ming Dynasty. After everything was settled, Mu Tianbo submitted a memorial to the emperor to express his attitude.

Zhu Shenzhu also knew all about Mu Tianbo's statement and actions. After accepting his petition, he gave Mu Tianbo an imperial edict in the name of the emperor, which recognized the achievements of the Duke of Qian's family in Yunnan, and at the same time gave him comfort and rewards to show his attitude, allowing Mu Tianbo to continue to guard Yunnan as before and ensure stability in the southwest.

So many years have passed in a flash. As the Ming Dynasty gradually regained its momentum under Zhu Shenzhui, Mu Tianbo, who was far away in Yunnan, finally put his mind at ease. At this point, he believed that his choice was correct. Zhu Shenzhui was indeed much stronger than Chongzhen, and the Ming Dynasty was now stable and had survived the crisis.

Not long ago, when the Ming Dynasty sent troops to Liaodong and defeated the Jiannu who had been causing trouble for thirty years, Mu Tianbo in Yunnan was even happier. He almost never drank that day, but he got drunk. He cried and laughed when he was drunk. When he sobered up, Mu Tianbo not only admired the Yongming Emperor very much, but also wanted to meet him.

Unexpectedly, not long after, an imperial edict came from the court, Zhu Shenzhui summoned Mu Tianbo to the capital.

Mu Tianbo was a little surprised by this summons, but it was reasonable after careful consideration. With Mu Tianbo's status, he should have gone to the capital to meet Zhu Shenzhu when he ascended the throne, but the situation was a little different at that time. Mu Tianbo did not take the initiative to go, and Zhu Shenzhu did not order him to come to the capital, so the matter was delayed.

Now that the imperial court suddenly issued this imperial edict, Mu Tianbo knew that he had to go this time, and he did have the intention of meeting Zhu Shenzhui in his heart. So, after arranging the military and political affairs in Yunnan, Mu Tianbo set off with his men. For the convenience of the journey, he first entered Sichuan from Yunnan, and then took a boat down the river from Sichuan to Nanjing. After arriving in Nanjing, he changed boats and went north from the Grand Canal to the capital. All the way up, he arrived in Tongzhou smoothly. After getting off the boat in Tongzhou, he changed carriages and continued to go to the capital. Upon learning that Mu Tianbo had arrived in Tongzhou, Zhu Shenzhui sent people to greet him and gave him extremely high courtesy. Two days later, Mu Tianbo and his party entered the capital. Looking at the majestic capital, Mu Tianbo couldn't help but be fascinated. Although he was no longer young and was now in his prime, he had been in Yunnan for a long time, but this was his second time to come to the capital.

The Duke of Qian was granted a house in the capital, and since Mu Sheng became the Duke of Qian, he established family rules to reassure the court. All generations of Dukes of Qian who guarded Yunnan had to send their women and children to live in the capital to show that the Duke of Qian's lineage was loyal to the court.

Before Mu Tianbo inherited the title of Duke of Qian, he lived in the capital for several years, and returned to Yunnan after his father passed away. Now, the Duke of Qian's residence in the capital is still occupied by his two sons, Mu Zhongxian and Mu Zhongliang. These two sons have just come of age and are currently studying in the military academy. It is a rule established after the emperor ascended the throne that nobles must attend military academies, especially the eldest son, who must inherit the title, and the Duke of Qian's residence is no exception.

When Mu Tianbo arrived in the capital, the mansion had been waiting for him for a long time. The house was cleaned inside and out, and his two sons and family servants were waiting at the door to greet him. When he arrived at the mansion, the first thing Mu Tianbo did was to submit a memorial to the palace to thank the emperor for his grace and to ask when he could enter the palace to meet the emperor.

Soon news came from the palace that, considering that Mu Tianbo had come from afar, he was asked to rest at home for two days and wait until the next morning to enter the palace for an audience.

Two days passed in a flash, and this day was the day when Mu Tianbo entered the palace. He got up early, washed up, put on the specially granted dragon robe, put on the crown, and took a carriage to the palace.

After passing the guards of the imperial city, Mu Tianbo got off the car and walked into the palace. He was led by the eunuch to the side hall of the Qianqing Palace. At this time, Zhu Shenzui was already waiting for him in the side hall.

Leading into the side hall, Mu Tianbo finally met Emperor Zhu Shenzhui.

Mu Tianbo was about the same age as Zhu Shencui, they were both in their prime. Compared to Zhu Shencui, Mu Tianbo was a little shorter, and his appearance was not very good. Compared to his body, his head was a little bigger, and his nose was much bigger than that of an average person. In addition, his hair was a little thick, and he had a big beard like a warrior. In addition, he had been in the southwest for a long time, where the sun was stronger, so his skin looked dark. If it weren't for the dragon robe on his body, he would look no different from an ordinary low-ranking officer in the army.

"Your Majesty, I, Mu Tianbo, kowtow to you. Long live Your Majesty..." When he saw the emperor, Mu Tianbo stepped forward to pay his respects without hesitation, and bowed down to Zhu Shenzhui while saying "Long live the emperor".

Before he could kneel on the ground, Zhu Shenzhui stepped forward to stop him, raising his hands to hold the other person.

"His Majesty……."

"We are family, no need to be so polite." Zhu Shenzhui said with a smile, "Back then, the Marquis of Pingxi was the adopted son of Taizu, and he and my ancestors were brothers. Although the lineage of the Duke of Qian is an outsider, they are also family. This is not the court, so there is no need to be so polite. Come, come, come, sit over here. Although this is the first time we meet, I have long wanted to meet you. I am very happy to see you today, so why should I be so polite?"

As he spoke, Zhu Shenzhui pulled Mu Tianbo to sit aside. He sat next to where Zhu Shenzhui usually sat. His expression was gentle and enthusiastic, as if he was not meeting a minister today, but just like an ordinary person meeting a relative who came from afar.

Mu Tianbo was terrified, but he did not dare to go against the emperor's wishes, so he could only sit down reluctantly, and at the same time took the opportunity to carefully look at the emperor in front of him.

What made Mu Tianbo sigh was that Zhu Shenzui's appearance was completely different from that of the previous emperors. Although Mu Tianbo had only seen Emperor Tianqi and Emperor Chongzhen, compared with these two, Zhu Shenzui's appearance was more similar to the portrait of Taizu treasured in the palace.

In fact, the first few emperors of Zhu Di's lineage, up to Emperor Xianzong, were similar to Emperor Taizu, with a dignified appearance and a full forehead. Starting with Emperor Xiaozong, the appearance of the following emperors changed, mainly because Emperor Xiaozong's biological mother was a Yao. Although Emperor Jiajing succeeded the throne because Emperor Wuzong had no son, Emperor Jiajing's appearance was also closer to his biological mother. Since then, the appearance of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty royal family has been different from that of Emperor Taizu.

But Zhu Shenzhui was different. Perhaps because he was from the lineage of the Jin prince, his appearance was closer to that of Taizu. Except for the fact that he had a short beard instead of a long one, he was almost 70% similar to Taizu's portrait. In addition, the demeanor displayed by Zhu Shenzhui was not comparable to that of Tianqi and Chongzhen that he had seen in those days, which made Mu Tianbo sigh in his heart.

(End of this chapter)